Burning Love
by lemmonbomb
Summary: It only took a millisecond of a loss of concentration to kill her husband Remus. Now Tonks can only feel burning, as she remembers times gone past in her final moments.


**Disclaimer: I own lots of cool things including a ukulele (which I play in a band, woop!) and a pair of lime-green converses. Sadly, Harry Potter and his magical world all belong to the marvel that is JK. **

**Hmmm, I got myself really quite upset when I thought about writing this, but I decided it was good so I posted it. The beginning in particular I find very sad, but maybe I'm just a sap, and also, I really heart Remus so it figures. I hope you enjoy reading it, or if you have anything you want to tell me about it, pleeease review! I always get so happy when people review, and I don't get reviewed often. **

She sprinted blindly through the raging sea of witches and wizards duelling for their lives. Each face was as insignificant and forgettable as the rest as she fought through the swarms of people. There was only one face that Tonks yearned to see so much that it physically hurt her. And then she saw him, locked in ferocious battle with Dolohov. Her beloved, brave, beautiful husband fired hex after hex at the death eater, who in turn blocked them and viciously hurled curses back at him.

And then Tonks forgot. She forgot her Auror training; her son; her life. And because she forgot, she did something stupid. She let Remus see her.

It only took the millisecond for him to briefly look away from his attacker to stare wild-eyed at her, pleading her to leave and save herself with just one look for Dolohov to strike Remus square in the chest. He sneered, before smirking wickedly at Tonks and stalking away to another battle.

The world crashed to a dizzying, silent standstill as Tonks watched her lover's life snatched away from him as he toppled to the ground. And as the world grew freezing cold and the castle grounds began to spin, she was only half aware of somebody screaming with such pain, anguish and sorrow that a number of heads, both good and bad, turned to see what had happened. The burning began in Tonks' chest, and she hurtled to the place where his crumpled body lay.

Collapsing over his body, Tonks shook with sobs that made her heart ache more than she thought imaginable. He wasn't gone, couldn't be gone.

"D-Dora?" the faint, hoarse whisper tickled Tonks' ear as she stared in shock at her husband. But as she desperately grasped his thin, scarred shoulders in disbelief with trembling hands, her heart fell. Remus was rasping for breath and his chest struggled to rise and fall. He'd been hit by some awful curse, and Tonks wasn't sure whether it meant lasting injury or...

"D-Dora...I...I" Remus gasped for breath, his face paler than those of the ghosts that roamed the castle, his every limb quaking "I...l...I love..."

"Shhh," Tonks cradled Remus' head and clasped his shaking hand in her own. "I love you too. I love you, I love you and your son loves you so you have to stay fighting, Remus, you have to stay because I l-love you, f-forever, Remus, Remus!"

Remus lay cold, dead in Tonks' arms.

The tears fell silently down her distraught cheeks as she buried herself in his limp, lifeless form. "Renervate," she whispered, tapping him with her wand. He did not stir.

Tonks remembered the first time she had met Remus, how crudely similar their positions had been to how they were now. She'd bounced down the stairs of Grimauld Place, excited for the first meeting of the reformed Order. Not looking where she was going as usual because she had a Weird Sisters song stuck in her head, she had accidentally jammed her chunky boot on the umbrella-stand at the foot of the stairs, sending her flying. Yet the hard collision between her and the floor never came, as just at that moment, _he_ had stepped through the front door, a few paces behind Mad-Eye who had guided him in. As she slammed into him, knocking him to the ground, she had felt herself blush. Tonks had never blushed in all her life, until that day. Indeed, his ears had also tinged pink boyishly.

"Wotcher," she had giggled, nervously.

"Are...are you alright?"

"Well seeing as you so kindly cushioned my fall, yes I think I am."

"It would seem so," They had simply lain there for about four seconds, just staring at each other, not quite sure what to say, until a cough from Mad-Eye brought them to their senses.

"We ought to get up, you know," Remus said, shifting onto his elbows.

"Oh, yes, right, sorry," Tonks hastily got up, brushing herself down. "I'm Tonks, by the way."

"Remus Lupin," he nursed the back of his head as he said it, though he had a cheerful smile on his face.

"Sorry..."

"That's quite alright, err, Tonks. Peculiar name..."

"You can talk!"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"It's actually Nymphadora Tonks. Don't laugh! I prefer Tonks, only teachers called me Nymphadora."

He smiled at her, presumably remembering the year he had spent as a teacher. Then he looked her right in the eyes. "I'm a werewolf."

"Cool. I'm a Metamorphmagus."

And then, he had just blinked in surprise.

That first day, Tonks had felt the burn for the first time. Burning embarrassment.

"R-Renervate!" she wept, pointing her wand at him. He did not wake.

Tonks remembered the first Christmas they had spent together, at Grimmauld Place. It had been a good few months now since they had first met, and there had been a large amount of secret staring at each other from opposite ends of tables and meetings, of shy greetings and laughed goodbyes. She remembered all the things about him which she really quite liked. He was older than her, and his lycanthropy had induced a couple of lines, a couple of grey hairs, and yet he still looked _young_ to her, he still looked like a mischievous boy lay inside him, ready to laugh and play jokes. She liked the way his ears and cheeks flushed pink when he was embarrassed; she liked the way his floppy, mostly light brown, honeyish hair fell in front of his eyes. She had always liked skinny guys, and here was a perfectly skinny man, whose clothes, though loose and shabby, hung attractively from him in _that way_ that she secretly thought cute. She thought it sweet how he always wore his shirts tucked in, with sensible soft jumpers, always long sleeves to hide his scarred arms. He was her opposite, she remembered thinking. She wore punky, tight, bright T shirts and statement witch boots. She changed her hair colour by the hour, and yet it always settled around her favourite shade of bubblegum pink. Perhaps opposites really do attract.

It had been quite late on Christmas Eve. The children (_"We're not children! We're young adults!" _Ginny had said crossly as Mrs Weasley had cajoled them upstairs) had gone to bed, and just the adults remained in the lounge of Grimmauld Place, talking amongst themselves in cosy corners of the room. Tonks was sat in front of the fire, peering from under her new magenta fringe at Remus, who was reading by himself in the opposite corner of the room. Suddenly, Sirius had plonked himself down in front of her. He grinned at her widely, a little teasingly. "I know who you lii-iike," he had sung, under his breath, revelling at her shocked face as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Who, then?"

"You've got the most obvious _moon-eyes_, cousin dearest, for my good friend Rem-"

"Shhh!"

Sirius grinned again "So I'm right then?" Tonks scowled.

"No!"

"I knew I was right!" he said, holding back a laugh.

"Fine, maybe a little bit. Just a little bit!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Anyway, I just came over to tell you that I think he likes you, too."

"Sirius I – what?"

"Tonks, I didn't spend seven years of my life sharing a dorm with Remus for nothing. I _know_ when he likes somebody."

"Wha – how can you tell?"

"Ha, you're so interested!" Sirius hugged his knees with glee "I can just _tell_. He's just happier when he has a crush."

"Right...well, night Sirius."

"Night Ms. Lupin."

"Sirius! Shut up!"

"Whatever."

"You're too old to say that!"

"Whatever!"

"Ugh..."

But Tonks had taken Sirius' words in. It had been that night, when she had patiently waited for all the others to go to bed, that she had approached Remus under a sprig of mistletoe which had just appeared out of nowhere where Remus was standing, slotting his book back onto the shelf by the radio.

And his ears had grown pink. And he had stumbled over his words a little. But they had smiled at each other, and she had reached up to him. And they had shared their first kiss.

That first Christmas, Tonks had felt the shivering burn of romance. Burning love.

"Renervate!" she cried, through hot, burning tears. But his eyes did not open as the shadow of a figure fell over the couple.

"Renervate! Renervate! Oh dear, is little Nymphy's pet dog dead?" The hissing, mocking laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange scuttled over her shoulder. And then all she felt was burning rage and fury that bubbled in her blood and made it boil. She thought again of her deceased husband and it boiled hotter than a volcano's heart. She thought of her perfect son, Teddy, and the life he deserved, and it boiled so hot that she thought she was on fire.

"How-dare-you?" Tonks spat through gritted teeth as she leapt to her feet, wand twitching, arms outspread to protect her husband where he lay. "Don't-you-EVER-call-him-a-dog-again!"

"Nasty little temper you've got there. Did his canine ways affect you? It is so close to that time of the month now-"

"STUPE-"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Tonks collapsed over her Remus' body, unconscious before she even registered pain.

Bellatrix walked away, cackling under her breath at the pathetic pile of soulless bodies that lay at her feet.


End file.
